Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Chicken

4.8
(17)

Sweet and sour gochujang chicken is a quick wok dish featuring Korean flavors. Serve over rice.

Close up on a bowl of white rice, topped with sweet and spicy gochujang chicken.
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Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
25 mins
Servings:
6

This test kitchen-approved gochujang chicken recipe is “fast, flavorful, and fun,” according to recipe tester Kathryn Hendrix. 

Gochujang Chicken Ingredients

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this sweet and spicy gochujang chicken recipe: 

  • Gochujang: This recipe starts with ⅓ cup gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste).
  • Soy sauce: Less sodium soy sauce lends tons of savory, umami-rich flavor. 
  • Mirin: Sweet rice wine (mirin) gives the dish even more umami-rich, yet mildly sweet, flavor. 
  • Honey: Honey puts the “sweet” in the “sweet and spicy.”
  • Garlic: Take the flavor up a notch with three cloves of garlic. 
  • Sesame oil: Add one or two teaspoons of sesame oil, depending on your flavor preferences. 
  • Ginger: For the most delicious results, grate your own fresh ginger. 
  • Canola oil: Cook the chicken in canola oil. 
  • Chicken: Opt for skinless, boneless chicken thighs. 
  • Garnishes: Garnish the gochujang chicken with toasted sesame seeds and green onions. 
  • Rice: Serve the gochujang chicken over white rice. 

How to Make Gochujang Chicken

You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make homemade gochujang chicken: 

  1. Make the sauce in a bowl and cook the chicken in a wok. 
  2. Add the sauce to the wok (with the chicken) and cook until thick and bubbly. 
  3. Garnish and serve over rice. 

Test Kitchen Tips 

This recipe was developed in our test kitchen. Check out some tips and tricks from culinary experts that might make the cooking process easier: 

  • Be sure to use gochujang paste in this recipe rather than gochujang sauce (gochujang is a thick, glossy Korean chili paste that is the base for making the sauce with the soy sauce, mirin, and honey). 
  • Buy gochujang in the tube as it stays fresh longer and is a more manageable amount, recommends test kitchen expert Emily Nienhaus.
  • Traditionally, the chicken is coated in cornstarch and fried. We skipped this step for a quick and easy weeknight dinner — but you can tweak the recipe to make it more authentic, if you like.

What to Serve With Gochujang Chicken

Serve this gochujang chicken with rice and steamed vegetables for a quick and healthy weeknight dinner, suggests Kathryn. Kathryn also recommends folding the leftovers in a wonton wrapper (with optional cream cheese) and deep frying them for a “crispy and indulgent appetizer.”

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 6 servings

  • 1/3 cup gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)

  • 4 tablespoons sodium-reduced soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons sweet rice wine (mirin)

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 3 cloves garlic, grated

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil, or more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil

  • 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

  • 3 tablespoons thinly bias-sliced green onions

  • 6 cups cooked rice

Directions

  1. Gather all ingredients.

    All ingredients gathered to make sweet and spicy gochujang chicken.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  2. Stir together gochujang, soy sauce, sweet rice wine, honey, garlic, sesame oil, and ginger in a small bowl.

    All sauce ingredients stirred together until well combined.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  3. Heat oil over medium-high in a wok or large skillet. Add half of the chicken to the wok; cook and stir over medium-high until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

    Chicken cooking in wok until no longer pink.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  4. Remove chicken from the wok. Repeat with remaining chicken. Return
    all cooked chicken pieces to the wok.

    Cooked chicken removed from wok, repeating with remaining chicken.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  5. Stir sauce well. Add to the wok; cook and stir until sauce has thickened and is bubbly, about 3 minutes.

    All chicken returned to wok, sauce added and cooking until thick and bubbly.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  6. Top with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve immediately with rice.

    Chicken garnished with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

574 Calories
16g Fat
66g Carbs
42g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Calories 574
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 16g 20%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 183mg 61%
Sodium 1640mg 71%
Total Carbohydrate 66g 24%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 42g 85%
Vitamin C 4mg 4%
Calcium 50mg 4%
Iron 4mg 21%
Potassium 541mg 12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.